
EDITH RICKERT 


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THE BOJABI TREE 



ALL THE BEASTS WERE HUNGRY 



























































THE BOJABI TREE 

BY 

EDITH SICKERT 

M 

PICTURES BY 
GLEB BOTKIN 



3 


GARDEN CITY NEW YORK 

DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY 

19 2 3 

















COPYRIGHT, 1923, BY 
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION 
INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN 


-4 

COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY D. C. HEATH & COMPANY 

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES 
AT 

THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS, GARDEN CITY, N. Y. 


First Edition 



OCI 25 1923 


THE BOJABI TREE 



CHAPTER ONE 


ROBIN RAT 

In the land of All-the-Beasts there was a 
GREAT HUNGER. Some of the animals 
who were so HUNGRY were 
Tabby Tiger 

Bruno Bear 

Katy Crocodile 
Robin Rat 

Pinky Pig 

Giddy Goat 

Tommy Tortoise 
and many more—more than you could ever 
count in a year. 






THE BOJABI TREE 


+ 




THEY COULD NOT EAT IT 


They ran around the wood, here and there 
and everywhere, eating roots and twigs and 
any old scraps they could find. But still 
they were HUNGRY. 

One day they came to a Big Tree full of 
fruit. But they could not eat it, for they did 
not know what it was. 


6 


ROBIN RAT 



They sat down in a circle round the tree, 
and said, “What can we do?” 

When they had thought a while, they said, 
“Let us send Robin Rat up the river to Leo, 
our King, and ask him what the fruit is and 
whether we may eat it.” 


7 


THE BOJABI TREE 



ROBIN RAT PICKS THE FRUIT 


Robin Rat was young and spry. He scut¬ 
tled up the tree and brought down one of its 
fruits to show King Leo. 

It was a DELICIOUS looking fruit! 

It looked like an 

APPLE OR AN GE PLUMPE ARB AN AN A 
but it smelled like a 

BANANAPEARPLUMORANGEAPPLE. 


8 




ROBIN RAT 



SUNSET ON THE RIVER 


Then Robin Rat scuttled down to the river 
bank and climbed into his little canoe. 

All the day and all the day he paddled 

and paddled 
and PADDLED 

up the river. 

And the Great Red Sun dropped behind 
the trees. 


9 













THE BOJABI TREE 
Then he found King Leo on the bank, all 

ready to receive visitors. He was wearing 
his crown tipped on the back of his head 
because he felt happy. He smiled at Robin 
Rat as pleasant as you please, and asked him 
to stay to supper. 



10 



ALL READY TO RECEIVE VISITORS 

11 
































































































































THE BOJABI TREE 



NIGHT IN THE GREAT WOOD 


After slipper they curled up and went to 
sleep. There was nothing else to do, you 
see. For this is the way it looked in the 

GREAT WOOD. 


12 

























ROBIN RAT 



In the morning King Leo said politely, 
“What can I do for you, my small friend?” 

Then Robin Rat answered, “ Please tell us, 
King Leo, what is the name of this tree and 
whether we may eat the fruit of it. We are 
all SO HUNGRY!” 


13 






















THE BOJABI TREE 



KING LEO SNIFFS AT THE FRUIT 


King Leo looked at the fruit that was like 
an 

APPLEORANGEPEARPLUMBANANA 

and he sniffed at the fruit that was like a 
BAN AN APLUMPEARORANGE APPLE. 

Then he said, “ It is a good fruit. You may 
eat it. The name of the tree is 

BOJABI.” 


14 





















ROBIN RAT 



ALL THE DAY HE PADDLED 


Then Robin Rat hung his cap over his right 
ear and climbed into his little canoe. 

All the day and all the day he paddled down 
the great river. 

And all the way he was thinking how much 
he could eat of that 

DELICIOUS fruit. 

And at night he came home. 


15 















































































































THE BOJABI TREE 



WAITING FOR ROBIN RAT 

All the Beasts were waiting for him on 
the shore. He came up, whisking his paddle 
this way and that way through the water, 
just to show how well he could do it. 

“What is it, Robin Rat?” said All the 
Beasts. “Tell us the name!” they roared 
and howled and ‘grunted and whined and 
shrieked and squealed, each in his own PAR¬ 
TICULAR voice. 

‘ ‘ Oh! ’ ’ said Robin Rat. ‘ 4 1 knew it a while 
ago, but now I have clean forgotten.” 

1G 























ROBIN RAT 



WHAT HAPPENED TO ROBIN RAT 


Then All the Beasts stepped into the water 
and upset Robin Rat’s little canoe. 

They SPLASHED and they 

SPLUTTERED and they 
SP-L-ANKED 
Robin Rat. 

Squeaksqueaksqueaksqueaksqueak! 

Nobodv heard a word more from him that 
* 

day. 


17 





























CHAPTER TWO 

PINKY PIG 

But now All the Beasts were HUNGRIER 
STILL. 

They sat in a circle round the tree and 
«/ 

thought a while. 

Then they said, “Let us send Pinky Pig 
to King Leo to ask the name of the tree. But 
Pinky Pig, 

DO NOT FORGET IT!” 


18 
























THE BOJABI TREE 



Pinky Pig trotted away home— 
trip trap, trip trap, trip trap. 

He put on his best blue coat and buttoned it 
up, though it squeezed him a little. 

Then he trotted—trip trap, trip trap, trip 
trap—down to his little rowboat and took his 
oars to row up the big river. 

All the dav and all the dav he rowed 

t/ 

and he rowed 
and he ROWED 
up the big river. 


20 







































































PINKY PIG 



KING LEO ON THE BANK 


And the Great Red Sun dropped behind 
the trees. 

Then he found King Leo on the bank, all 
ready to receive visitors. His crown was a 
little crooked because he had put it on in 
a hurry when he saw Pinky Pig coming. 

He smiled politely but he did not invite 
Pinky Pig to stay to supper. 


21 


















THE BOJABI TREE 


“ What can I do for you, my plump friend V J 
he asked. 

Pinky Pig showed him the fruit that looked 
like an 

APPLE ORAN GEPE ARPLUMB AN AN A 
and smelled like a 

BANANAPLUMPEARORANGEAPPLE, 
and said, “Please, King Leo, we must know 
the name of this tree or we cannot eat the 
fruit. Please be so kind as to tell us. ’ ’ 

i 

Then King Leo said, 

“I have told Robin Rat. 

I will tell you. 

The name of the tree is 

BOJABI! 

Do not forget it.” 



... 


A3afiC4^ 


‘ WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU?” 

23 




































































































































THE BOJABI TREE 



H-R-R-R-UMPH ! 

Pinky Pig trotted back to liis rowboat— 
trip trap, trip trap, trip trap. 

All the night and all the night he rowed— 
he rowed—and he ro-o-owed until the oars— 
dropped—from—his—hands—and the big 
river took the boat down itself. 

Pinky Pig curled up under the seat. And 
this is the sound that came from the boat: 

H-r-r-r-umph 
h-h-r-r-r -umph 
h-li-li-r-r-r-r-UM-MPH! 

24 










PINKY PIG 



THE ARRIVAL OF PINKY PIG 


In the morning Pinky Pig sat up and 
rubbed bis eyes. He was at home. All the 
Beasts stood on tlie river bank looking at 
him. “What is it, Pinky Pig? Tell us the 
name!” they whistled and snarled and 
squealed and shrieked and whined and grunted 
and howled and roared, each in his own PAR¬ 
TICULAR voice. 

“I know it,” said Pinky Pig. Then he 
yawned. 

“I knew it last night,” he said, “but—ah— 
ah—I—must—have—been—asleep, and—ah 
—for—got—ten it.” 

That is the way he talked when he was 
yawning. 


25 














THE BOJABI TREE 

Then All the Beasts jumped into the water 
and smashed Pinky Pig’s boat and his oars. 
They PLUNGED about and 

PUNCHED poor Pinky Pig and 
POUNDED him until he went 
plop—plop—into the water. 
SQue-e-e-e-e-e-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-AL! 

He ran home with the water running off 
him and making little puddles here and there. 

Nobody heard’a word more from him that 
day. 



26 











CHAPTER THREE 


GIDDY GOAT 


But now All the Beasts were HUNGRIER 
and HUNGRIER. They could have eaten 
nails if there had been any nails in the Great 
Wood. 

They sat in a circle round the tree and 
thought a while. 

Then they said, 

“ Giddy Goat is 
older than Pinky 
Pig, and wiser 
than Robin Rat, 

Let us send him 
to King 
Leo to ask 
the name 

of the tree, so that we may eat the fruit of it 
before we starve. 



But Giddy Goat, 

DO NOT FORGET IT!” 

27 







THE BOJABI TREE 







|<U<»« 


\\\ I **i 


'limit.. 


“A-rashum!” said Giddy Goat. He was 
afraid of catching cold. Away he ran—ker- 
lipp, ker-lipp—to his house to get a big 
woolly muffler to wear on the river. He 
wrapped it three times round his neck and 
tucked it neatly under his beard. 

Then he ran—ker-lipp, ker-lipp—down to 
his little sailboat on the river. 

All the day and all the day he sailed 

and he sailed 
and he SAILED 
up the big river. 

And the Great Red Sun dropped behind the 
trees. 


28 



GIDDY GOAT 



SAILING TO KING LEO 


Then he found King Leo on the bank, not 
ready to receive visitors. His crown was on 
straight and he looked very CROSS. 


29 




















THE BOJABI TREE 


“Whatdoyouwant?” lie snapped—just like 
that. 

44 A-rashum!” said Giddy Goat. 44 I beg 
your Majesty’s pardon. I have a cold com¬ 
ing on. ’ ’ 

He showed King Leo the fruit that looked 
like an 

APPLEORANGEPEARPLUMBANANA 
and smelled like a 

B ANANAPLUMPE ARORAN GE APPLE, 
and said, 4 4 If you would be so very kind, King 
Leo, to tell us the name of this tree, so that 
we may know whether we may eat the fruit 
of it.” 

Then King Leo said, 

44 1 have told Robin Rat. 

I have told Pinky Pig. 

I will tell you. 

But I will not tell ANYBODY ELSE. 

The name is B O J A B I. 

DO NOT FORGET IT!” 


30 































































































THE BOJABI TREE 



44 A-rash-oo!” said Giddy Goat and he 
skipped away—ker-lipp, ker-lipp—to his sail¬ 
boat. 

All the night and all the night he sailed 

and he sailed 
and he SAILED. 

All the way he was remembering the name, 
and he remembered it very well. 

He sailed so fast that he got home in the 
early, early morning. 

And all the way when he wasn’t remember¬ 
ing the name, he was sneezing: 

4 4 A-tchoo! A-rashum! A-tchoo! ’ ’ 

32 






















GIDDY GOAT 


All the Beasts were waiting for liim—rows 
and rows of them. Those in the back rows 
looked over the shoulders of those in the front 
rows, or climbed on their backs. 

They pushed and jostled one another until 
they had upset Giddy Goat’s sailboat. Ker- 
splasli!—he went into the river. 

Such a sight as he was when they pulled 
him out. His long hair was full of water. 
His beard was full of water. His eyes were 
full of water. His beautiful new muffler was 
full of water. 

When the animals crowded round him to 
ask the name of the tree, he shook himself so 
that the water flew in their faces, and ran 
away home 
—ker-lipp, 
ker-lipp — 
with a most 
dreadf u1 



A-TCHOO! 

33 












SUCH A sight! 
34 

































































































































































































GIDDY GOAT 



His wife made him go to bed. And not 
one word could anyone get from him all that 
day but A-tclioo! A-rashum! A-TCHOO! 


35 





































































































'MtlllUr* • — 

IM v* •* 

'lll|[|l|inuikik. 

ilium,. 


,uuiu»‘“"- 


CHAPTER FOUR 



TOMMY TORTOISE 

By tins time All the Beasts were so HUN¬ 
GRY that tliev sat round the tree and cried. 

You see there was no one else who had a 
boat. 

“What shall we do?” they wailed and 
howled and buzzed and grunted and groaned 
and sobbed and lamented, each in his own 
most PARTICULAR voice. 

Then Tommy Tortoise, who had been lying 
asleep in the sun, opened one eye, and said, 
“What is all this fuss about? Haven’t you 
found out the name of this tree YET?” 

They said they had not and cried harder 
than ever. 


36 





TOMMY TORTOISE 


“Oh, well,” said he, “if that’s all, I’ll go 
and get it for yon.” 

“ YOU! ” snarled Tabby Tiger. 

‘‘ You! You! ” grunted Bruno Bear. 

“You!” snapped Katy Crocodile, biting her 
word off short. 

“You-u-u-u!” trumpeted Elizabeth Ele¬ 
phant. 

“You! You! You!” chattered Mimi Monkey. 

You never heard such a noise—not even at 
the circus—as there was when they all said 
this, each in his own PARTICULAR voice. 

“Yes, me—I mean I,” said Tommy Tortoise 
in his little, thin voice. 

Then he crawled slowly home, trailing one 
foot after the other, as some boys do on their 
way to school. 

He found his mother knitting stockings and 
rocking the baby. 

“Hssh!” said Mrs. Tortoise. “He’s just 
dropping off.” 


37 




THE BOJABI TREE 


“Mother,” said Tommy Tortoise. “How 
can I remember the name of that tree if I go 
UX3 the river to get it?” 

“Tommy,” said Mrs. Tortoise, “do you re¬ 
member how you used to go to school with all 
the other little tortoises and learn things ? ’ ’ 

“Yes, said Tommy. 

“Nine times one makes nine, 

Nine times two makes eighteen, 

Nine times three makes twenty-seven—” 
He said the Nines table because anybody can 
say the Tens, and he wasn’t sure about the 
Elevens. 

4 ‘ Hsh! ’ ’ said Mrs. Tortoise. ‘ ‘ That will do. 
You will wake the Baby.” 

“But I will tell you how to remember.” 
She whispered in his ear. 

Then she said, “Now, Tommy, whatever 
hax>X3ens to you, mind your manners. Re¬ 
member to bow to King Leo and to s}3eak to 
him so x3olitely that he will know you have 
been well brought up.” 

“Yes, Mother,” said Tommy Tortoise. 


38 


TOMMY TORTOISE 



MRS. TORTOISE GIVES ADVICE 


Then he put on his cap with the red tassel, 
and he went down to the river. He had no 
boat; so he had to swim. 

All the day and all the day he swam 

and he swam 
and he SWAM. 

When he was tired swimming, he would turn 
over on his shell and float with all his legs 
kicking in the water, just as the Baby kicks 
in his bath. 


39 
















































TIIE BOJABI TREE 

And the Great Red Sun dropped behind the 
trees. 

When Tommy Tortoise reached King Leo’s 
home, King Leo was NOT curled up comfort¬ 
ably wearing his crown and ready to receive 
visitors. He was standing on the river bank 
waving his tail. His big head was waggling 
this way and that way, and he was not smiling 
AT ALL. 

Before Tommy could speak a word, or even 
make his best bow, King Leo said: 

‘ ‘ R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R! 
S-s-cat! S-scamper! S-scat! S-skedaddle! 

I told Robin Rat. 

I told Pinky Pig. 

I told Giddv Goat. 

I WILL NOT TELL YOU 
that the name of the tree is bojabi. 

R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R!” 

“Bojabi,” whispers Tommy Tortoise to 
himself, and jumps—ker-lump—into the river 
again. 


40 



“i WILL NOT TELL YOU” 


41 
























































































THE BOJABI TREE 



SINGING ON THE RIVER 


All the night and all the night he swam 

and he swam 
and he SWAM. 

But it was easy work to let the big river carry 
him on its hack. 

All the night and all the night he made up 
a little song and sang it, like this: 


42 























TOMMY TORTOISE 


u O Robin Rat, what shall we eat? 

Bojabi—bojabi—bojabi. 

O Pinky Pig, so fat and neat, 

Bojabi—bojabi—bojabi. 

O Giddy Goat, so fast and fleet, 

Bojabi—bo j abi—bo j abi. 

O Humpy Hippo, hard to beat, 

Bojabi—bojabi—bojabi. 

O Bruno Bear, with clumsy feet, 

Bojabi—bojabi—bojabi. 

O Katy Crocodile, here’s a treat, 

Bojabi—bojabi—bojabi. 

O Tommy Tortoise, of Puddle Street, 
Bojabi—bojabi—bojabi. 

O All-tlie-Beasts, come quick and eat 
Bojabi—bojabi—bojabi. ’ ’ 

And THAT was what his mother had told 
him to do. 


43 


# 


> t / 





THE BOJABI TREE 



All the Beasts were lying on the bank of 
the river. Ear away they heard the little, 
thin voice of Tommy 1 Tortoise singing his 
song. They pricked up their ears, looking 
this way and that way as they listened. 

And presently Tommy Tortoise came crawl¬ 
ing up through the mud. 

“What is it?” they cried, each in his own 
PARTICULAR voice. You would have 
thought that all the circuses in the world were 
there. 

“Bojahi,” said Tommy Tortoise, and 
crawled away home without another word. 

44 






TOMMY TORTOISE 





SUPPER! 


That night All the Beasts had bojabi for 
their supper. 

But Tommy Tortoise had cream with his. 


45 



























’lujrfhui" ^ 

j/. t. /3 a v 


THE KING OF ALL THE BEASTS 

46 













































































TOMMY TORTOISE 

After that All the Beasts in that wood were 

never hungry. They could always eat bojabi. 

\ 

They made Tommy Tortoise their king. 
“For,” they said, “if he could remember the 
name of the bojabi tree, he can do anything.” 

As far as I know he is king of All the Beasts 
in the Great Wood to-day. 

—Adapted from an African Folk Tale. 



47 








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